Beverage cases have been used for transporting and storing containers such as bottles and cartons of beverages for a long while. Wooden and combination wooden and metal beverage cases have long been used to transport and store milk bottles and milk cartons.
More recently, beverage cases formed of plastic such as polypropylene, polyethylene or similar materials have become common. Typically, these beverage cases are loaded with full cartons or bottles and stacked on top of each other to make maximum use of storage and transportation space. The stacks of beverage cases are five or six high.
In the past, the beverage cases generally were square or rectangular with four full sides that formed a continuous upper surface on which another beverage case could rest. Thus, the beverage cases, whether full or empty, could only be stacked with the bottom surface of one beverage case resting on another beverage case.
The solid structure of the beverage cases was found to be important because of the heavy duty to which the beverage case are subjected during handling. Customarily, the beverage cases are stacked five high, a hook is inserted into a handle opening, the stack of beverage cases is tilted slightly away from the hook side and dragged across a floor surface.
At the terminal location, the column of stacked beverage cases is dismantled to facilitate removal of the cartons or bottles from each beverage case.